Holden Caulfield Mental Illness

“I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy” (Salinger 1). The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger in 1951, focuses on the narrative of a troubled teen, named Holden Caulfield, who recounts his experience of getting kicked out of his school around Christmas time, which leads to his decision to leave for New York, where he goes on a downward spiral. This novel hints at Holden Caulfield’s mental health issues, which could be the effect of borderline personality disorder, or BPD, “a serious mental disorder marked by a pattern of ongoing instability in moods, behavior, self-image, and functioning” (NIMH). Throughout the

novel, Holden Caulfield expresses multiple symptoms of BPD, including impulsive behavior, unstable relationships, and stress-related paranoia.
One symptom of borderline personality disorder is impulsive behavior, which Holden expresses multiple times during his time in New York. This symptom of BPD can be defined as “impulsive and risky behaviors that are potentially self-damaging, such as gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sex, spending sprees, binge eating or drug abuse, or sabotaging success by suddenly quitting a good job or ending a positive relationship” (Mayo Clinic). An example of this behavior in Holden occurs after his brother, Allie, dies; he has a breakdown, confessing to the reader “I slept in the garage the night [Allie] died, and I broke all the goddam windows with my fist, just for the hell of it . . . It was a very stupid thing to do, I’ll admit, but I hardly didn’t even know I was doing it” (Salinger 44). The quote shows Holden’s symptom of reckless behavior. Holden is so overcome with grief over the death of his younger brother, that he impulsively engages in self-damaging behavior smashing all the windows of his garage, which leads to a broken hand. When Holden leaves Pencey, he displays this symptom again, recounting “all of a sudden, I decided what I’d really do, I’d get the hell out of Pencey—right that same night and all” (Salinger 57). He is imprudent with his decisions which he shows by leaving Pencey in the dead of night, to wait out the news of his expulsion in New York, without thinking twice about it. BPD is distinct in Holden due to his impulsive behavior as he makes multiple decisions that are self-damaging, whether it be physically or mentally. Throughout the novel, Holden does not think about his actions, instead he just impulsively acts, which only amplifies his desolation.
Additionally, Holden exhibits another symptom of borderline personality disorder: unstable relationships, which can be described as “a pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation” (DSM).

In the novel, Holden plans a date with a girl, named Sally, who he feels indifferent towards. Though after going on the date with her, Holden experiences an intense infatuation for her and invites her to live out his fantasy of escaping to Vermont and living in a cabin in the woods. Once Sally rejects his idea by questioning the logic of it, Holden goes on a tirade and tells Sally that she “gives [him] a royal pain in the ass” (Salinger 148). Sally starts to cry and leaves Holden alone, giving him time to reflect on their conversation during which he says “I don’t even know why I started all that stuff with her . . . The terrible part, though, is that I meant it when I asked her” (Salinger 149). His relationship with Sally is just one example of how unstable his relationships are. The symptom is apparent in Holden and Sally’s interactions as Holden first experiences intense infatuation for Sally, and only moments later, he thinks the complete opposite of her. Instability is also prevalent in Holden’s relationship with his brother, Allie. He idealizes his dead brother, often putting Allie on a pedestal. In a confrontation with Phoebe, Holden says “Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop

liking them, for God’s sake—especially if they were a thousand times nicer than the people you know that’re alive and all” (Salinger 189). This quote shows Holden’s idolization of Allie as he prefers his brother over most living people. Phoebe knows how unhealthy idolizing a dead person is, but Holden cannot see past the impeccable image he has made of his brother. Unstable relationships in BPD is frequent in individuals who suffer from it often idealize other people and are disconnected from the world; therefore making it impossible to create healthy and stable relationships that they are not disappointed in. Holden has a plethora of unhealthy relationships which is emphasized during his trip to New York.
Another borderline personality disorder symptom that Holden experiences is stress-related paranoia.

This symptom of BPD is depicted as having “transient, stress-related paranoia ideation or severe dissociative symptoms” (DSM). One example of this behavior is when Holden, after leaving Mr. Antolini’s, is walking down Fifth Avenue and starts having delusions that he will not make it past the street alive. The scene is explained by Holden when he says “every time I came to the end of the block and stepped off the goddam curb, I had this feeling that I’d never get to the other side of the street” (Salinger 217). Holden is incredibly stressed in this part of the novel, to the point where he starts experiencing delusions of persecution. During the scene, Holden calls upon his brother Allie to protect him, pleading “‘Allie don’t let me disappear. Allie, don’t let me disappear. Allie don’t let me disappear. Please, Allie” (Salinger 218). He is constantly paranoid that he is going to die, but it is distinctively intensified during this scene. Stress-related paranoia in BPD is an adverse symptom as the individual can lose contact with reality and let their delusions fully consume them. With the symptom of paranoia, the person often has delusions of persecution, which is exactly what Holden experiences throughout the

novel.
On the other hand, one might argue that Holden is just an angsty teen instead of having borderline personality disorder; however, this is not the case. With mental health, friends and family are usually the first to recognize it manifesting inside the person of interest and they can be integral to the diagnosis. Throughout the novel, everyone who knows Holden is concerned about him, whether it be teachers, friends, or family. Specifically Mr. Antolini, one of the only people who could get through to Holden, recognizes that he needs help, telling Holden “‘This fall I think you’re riding for—it’s a special kind of fall, a horrible kind’” (Salinger 207). Phoebe, Holden’s beloved sister, also points out Holden’s behavior, saying “‘You don’t like anything that’s happening’” (Salinger 187). If people who Holden is close to, can recognize that something is seriously wrong with him, then it allows questionable doubt for his mental health status. In the end of the novel, Holden even gets professional help from psychiatrists. Everyone goes through bouts of teenage angst, but it does not compare to the intensity of Holden’s mental illness. Holden is not just suffering from teen angst, he shows symptoms of a serious mental illness and regarding it as typical teenage issues is problematic and damaging to those who suffer from mental illnesses by trivializing their conditions.
Throughout the novel, Holden Caulfield expresses multiple symptoms of borderline personality disorder. He displays the symptom of reckless behavior by breaking all the windows in the garage after Allie’s death and leaving Pencey. Also, Holden has the symptom of unstable relationships as shown by his relationships with Sally and his brother, Allie. Lastly, Holden exhibits stress-related paranoia, which is expressed by his constant perturbation of dying. All of these symptoms leads back to Holden’s evident undiagnosed BPD, which is responsible for his mental breakdown. Though luckily, at the end of the novel, Holden finally gets the professional help that he needs to heal.